Apparel belt with secret pocket



APPAREL BELT WITH SECRET POCKET Filed Dec. 20, 1946 INVENTOR 1 mo KNEE I ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 4, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPAREL BELT WITH SECRET POCKET Simon Knee, Newark, N. J

Application December 20, 1946, Serial No. 717,489 (01. 224-26) I 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to belts for wearing apparel.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an apparel belt with a secret pocket enclosed therein in such manner as to improve the concealment of said pocket, especially in belts which are unlined and are therefore not stitched at the longitudinal edge of the belt.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparel belt having a secret pocket so arranged and disposed as to facilitate access to the pocket without requiring removal of the belt from the wearer.

lhe above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which are to be considered as illustrative of the invention but not in limitation thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a belt embodying the present invention, part of the belt being shown in a retracted position for the purpose of the illustration;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of an end portion of the belt, showing the pocket provided with a zipper fastener as a closure for the pocket open- 1 Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the opening for the pocket at the top edge of the pocket instead of as a slit in the pocket-forming strip;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the end portion of a belt, showing the secret pocket provided on a different part of the belt from that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4;

Fig. 6 is .a sectional View of the belt on line 6-6 of Fig. 1, the retracted part of the belt shown in its normal osition.

- Referring now to the drawings in detail, the belt Ill embodying thepresent invention is preferably of the type conventionally utilized with garments such as trousers which are customarily provided with loops through which the belt is inserted, said belt in being therefore of a width 7 2 in one of the belt-adjusting openings 18 in the other end of the belt;

Band i2 has an inwardly folded or refiexed portion 213 which is preferably an integral part of the band at the folded end 22 thereof which engages the inner cross bar 24 of the buckle. The part of the band at the fold line 22 is provided with an opening 26 for the prong ll; of the buckle. In the normal position of folded end portion 28, the latter lies flat against the inner side of the adjacent outer end portion of band l2, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and in that position end portion 20 is releasably. secured in any suitable way as by the companion snap fasteners 28 and 30. A pocket 32 is carried by the belt and more particularly by the folded end portion 20 by which the buckle I4 is attached to the belt. Said pocket 32 is formed by the strip 34 which is of substantially the same width as band I 2 and is stitched to portion 2!! on the inner side thereof at the edges of said strip and of portion 2a and at the ends of said strip as indicated by the peripheral line of stitching 36. It will be understood that the inner side of end portion 20 forms one wall ofthe \pocket and that strip 34 forms the other wall of said pocket, and further it will be understood that said strip 34 is sufficiently soft and pliable, being formed of leather or other suitable -material, to be spread apart at opposite sides of the slit 38 which forms the pocket opening. When strip 34 is not a part of the belt lining, it is of less length than band :2, being short enough to be covered by end portion 20. As illustrated in Fig. 2 the slit or pocket opening 1-38v may be provided with a zipper or slide operated fastener 40 or with any other similarly wellknown fastening means.

When the folded portion 20 is in its normal position in which it lies against the adjacent end part of the belt, the presence of the secret pocket 32 is concealed so that said pocket is not visible either at the outer side of the belt or at the inner side of the belt. However, by providing the secret pocketv on the infolded end portion 2!] of the belt, instead of on the inner side of the outer part of the band, the presence of the secret pocket is .less. easily detectable, since it is unnecessary to stitch through the outer portion of the band. Thisv maybe desirable particularly with an unlinedbelt which does not have stitching at the longitudinal edges of the belt as is frequently the case in a lined belt. The snap fasteners 28 which are provided on the outer part of the band as illustrated in Fig. 1 do not reveal the presence of the secret pocket since the outer ends of said snap fastenerseven if they pass through the like fasteners for securing the conventional folded end portion of a belt in position for attaching the buckle M to the belt. Further it will be observed that the belt is provided .with slidable loops d2 which are movable longitudinally of the band l2 and which are moved from the position illustrated in Fig. 1 topositions in which they encircle the band when the folded end portion- 20 is fastened in place, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and these loops which are then adjacent the end.- of the belt to receive the opposite end of the belt which is engaged in the buckle M additionally serve to disguise the belt in respect to the presence of the secret pocket.

In the form of the invention-illustratedin' Fig. 3 the pocket 32A is formed by a strip 34A. which is devoid of a slit for th pocket opening. Said strip 34A is secured to the folded end portion of theband of the belt at its lower edge and at its ends by the stitching 44 and 45, so that the-opening for the secret pocket is at the top of the pocket between the upper edge of a strip 35A and the adjacent surface of end portion 20 as indicated at 41. A slide fastener closure 46 is D 'O- vided for said' opening, the companion slide fastener tapes 58 and 50 (Fig. 4) being stitched respectively to the strip 3'4Aat the inner side thereof and to the' end portion 20 at the inner side thereof.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 5 the secret pocket 3218 instead of being carried by the inf-folded end portion: of the band 52 is carried by the outer' end portion of the band, at the inner side thereof, adjacent the buckle Mv so that when said end portion 20 is secured in place by the companion snaps 28' and 30 as hereinbefore described with reference to the; other constructions; pocket 32B isv covered and concealed by said end portion '20. However it will be observedv that in the construction shown in Fig. 5 the pocket 32B is constructed. like the pocket 32A of Fig. 3' in respect to the provision of the opening 413 at the top of the pocket, said opening having a zipper closure 46 as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. Pocket 32B is formed by a strip 343 which is stitched to the outer part of the band I2. at the lower edge. of. said band by the stitching. 44, the ends. of said strip being secured to. the band [2 by the stitching. The snaps 28 of strip 343 are secured only to said strip so thatv they do not pass through band l2, and similarly it will be understood that the snaps 30'. of strips 34' and 34A are secured only to said strips respectively and are not visible at the outer side of the folded portion 20. In the construction shown in Fig. 5 the. pocket 32B is located on the band adjacent the buckle M, in accordance with the present invention, but it will be understood that if the advantage of concealing the pocket from view at both sides. of the belt is dispensed with, the pocket 343 may be located along any other part of the length of the band l2 and the inwardly folded part 20 may be permanently secured. in place for holdingv the buckle in place, as in a conventional belt, and in the latter cases-aid inwardly folded part 20 can be ofv shorter length since in such event it would not have the function of concealing the pocket from view at. the inner side of the. belt as hereinbefore described. It will be noted however that in each of the constructions illustrated by the accompanying drawhugs the secret pocket is located near one end of the belt so that access to the pocket may be had without removing the belt and it will further be observed that in the construction in Figs. 3 and 5 the openin of the pocket is at the top of the belt to facilitate access to the pocket when the infolded end portion 20 is unfastened from the adjacent outer part of the band by unfastening the companion snaps 28 and 30. It will be noted that the slide-fastener closure is concealed between the pocket forming strip and the band (Figs. 3 to 5) thus further to conceal the presence of the secret pocket. This feature is desirable in the illustrated constructions as well as in a construction in which the pocket is not covered by the infolded part 20 of the band, particularly when the pocket-forming strip is a part of the lining of a belt of the lined type.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood that various changes in the details of" construction and in the arrangement of parts may be made without departing fromthe underlying idea or principlesof the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what]? claim desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1'. A belt for wearing apparel comprising a band adapted to encircle the wearers waist, saidi band having a fastening device at-one end of the belt and a part on. the-inner side of'the belt extending from said end of the belt toward the opposite end thereof, in confronting relation with an overlying portion of the band, a pocketcar ried by said part at the inner side thereof and concealed from view at theinner and outer sides of'thebelt by said partand theconfrontingoverlying portion of said band.

2. A belt for wearing apparer comprising a waist-encircling band having releasable fastening means at its opposite ends, said band having a refiexedportion at one end thereof disposed at the inner side of th belt, a pocket carried by said reflexedend portion at the inner side thereof and concealed from view at the outer sideof said band, and means forreleasably securing said refl'exed end portion in positionadjacentthe inner side of said band.

3. A belt for wearing apparel comprising a. band adapted to encircle the wearers Waist, a strip having a pocket-forming portion of less length than the band disposed at the inner side: of and secured to the band only at the ends and lower edge of the said pocket-forming portion and forming a pocket with the confronting inner surface of the band, the upperedge of said strip terminating near the upper edge of the band,

forming an opening at the top of the pocket, and slide-fastener tapes secured respectively along the upper edge of said strip on the inner side thereof and along the upper edge portion of the band as parts of a slide-fastener'closure for said opening, said slide-fastener tapes being concealed between said strip and the band.

SIMON" KNEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,506,255 Rosenstein Aug- 26, 1924 2,004,412 Luftig June 11, 1935 2,004,477 Mather June 11, 1935. 2,156,373 Craighead May 2, 1939 2,359,012 Sophier Sept. 26. 

